On the Shabbat before Purim, the holiday on which we celebrate the foiling of Haman the Amalekite's plot to destroy the Jewish people, the weekly Torah reading is supplemented with the Zachor ("Remember!") reading in which we are commanded to remember the evil of Amalek and to eradicate it from the face of the earth.
Moshè holds up the staff in his hand silhouette craft
The end of Parshat B'shalach (Shemot 17:8-16) tells the story of the battle between the children of Israel and Amalek. It's your typical historical battle: Israelites on one side of the field, Amalekites on the other, with commanders watching from hilltops safely behind their own lines. While watching the battle, Moshè notices something strange. When he raises his hands, the battle turns in favor of his own forces. When he lowers his hands, the Amalekites seem to be winning. So Moshè does the obvious thing: he keeps his hands up. But nobody can keep his hands up forever. Moshè's arms eventually get tired, and he starts to worry that the Israelites will lose the battle if he puts his hands down. Luckily, Aaron, Moshè's brother, and Hur, his brother-in-law, are up on the hill with him. They find Moshè a rock to sit on and hold his arms up for the duration of the battle, resulting in a decisive victory for Israel...
Moshè silhouette moves his arms up or down
